Tuesday, June 5, 2012

A Jubilee Tea



A Jubilee Tea 

in honor of 

Queen Elizabeth II





The official emblem for 

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee 

was designed by 10 year old,

 Katherine Dewar of Chester. 




60 Years a Queen ~ Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Souvenir

Queen Victoria is the only other monarch in UK history to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee.  She reigned for almost 64 years and celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in June 1897.  The tiny silver frame and photo of Queen Victoria is a souviner from that occasion.  I purchased the postage size piece at Bermondsey Market early one Saturday morning in the 1980s.  At just an inch tall, it was a perfect little treasure to bring back to the states



Details of a Souvenir Scarf from 1953 Coronation

The coronation of 

Queen Elizabeth II was held on June 2, 1953.



Emma Bridgewater Diamond Jubilee Napkins

About a month ago, 

a package arrived with these napkins.

A thoughtful friend sent them with a suggestion that

I might want to host a Jubilee Celebration.




When a friend in the UK learned 

I was planning a party, she surprised 

me with a box of Jubilee party goods.





So I hung the

red, white, and blue

bunting to set the mood.




Then I added in these Rob Ryan flags 

that were especially designed for Jubilee Street Parties.

You can download the bunting flag here.




Tea Time on the Terrace




Souvenir scarves from 

Queen Elizabeth's 1953 Coronation 

and her 1977 Silver Jubilee, along with 

a Union Jack pillow, pay tribute to the Queen.




An English Spode blue and white 

pitcher holds blooms from my garden.




Serving a pot of special English tea 

lightly flavored with bergamot.




The Union Jack inspired tea cozy keeps our pot of tea warm. 

It was among the surprises from my friend Gaynor.  

She also included the delightful stack 

of colorful cup cake liners.




An elegant teapot 

 by Peppertree Tabletops.




The fine porcelain and 

beautiful details make a regal statement.




Mismatched cups were a 

 thrifty find a few years ago.




I drink my tea black, 

but I know the English sometimes like 

to take their tea with a bit of sugar and milk or lemon.

The vintage cream and sugar are by Royal Doulton.




A petit demi tasse, perfect for 

holding lemon slices, is unmarked.  

Both it and the cream and sugar were recent thrifty finds.




~ Boston Cream Cake with Cherry Topping ~

A special cake for a Jubilee Tea




Decorated with the Royal Pop Top




Made by Talking Tables in the UK.




Royal Pop Top

ONE IS AMUSED!

Create a right royal scene with these regal 

pop tops ~ simply pop them out and top off your cake.




~ A Jubilee Tea ~




For those of you who don't have time to linger, 

I'll send along a tea plate to go.
Don't forget your party favor!



Joining the Happy Homemaker's

Diamond Jubilee After Party

Also joining



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Friday, June 1, 2012

Sarah's Garden

Red Knock Out Roses and Blue Plumbago

Welcome To My Garden
It's time for 
Favorites on the 1st
Alison @ The Polohouse 
has invited us to share our gardens.

Golden Thryallis with Red and Yellow Firecracker Ferns
Gardens here need plants that can tolerate 
our hot, dry summers and minimal water.

White Petunias Mixed With Colorful Annuals
Much of our garden is planted in perennials that are
suited for such conditions, but I also 
like to mix in a few annuals each season.

Orange Daylily
Our heirloom orange daylilies will 
greet you as you come up the front walk.

Blackfoot Daisy
This sweet little daisy like flower 
is one of my favorites because it can 
take our hot summers and needs little water.

Purple Coneflower
Coneflowers, a drought tolerant charmer, add 
both texture and fabulous color to the garden.

Purple Aster
These hardy purple asters put on a 
showy spread each fall, but you can see 
they have offered up a few blooms 
for my late spring garden.

Bluebonnets ~ Texas State Flower
This is a look back at the beautiful 
bluebonnets we had blooming in the early spring.

Shell Ginger, Aralia, Dwarf Yaupon
Our back garden is mostly filtered 
light and shade with much of the beds 
planted with various evergreen shrubs 
that offer a variety of leaf textures in shades of green.

Shell Ginger Bloom
The shell ginger is native to Indonesia 
and normally freezes back in the winter. 
In the rare years that it doesn't freeze back, 
we are treated to these gorgeous blooms in the spring.

We are in luck, because this spring
the ginger is full of amazing white flowers 
that open to show a gorgeous red and yellow mouth.

Sago Palm
The sago palm puts out new growth each spring.

Oakleaf Hydrangea
Hydrangeas are one of my favorites, 
but most varieties are difficult to grow here.  
The oakleaf hydrangea is the exception.  

The blooms are clusters of 
white flowers which fade 
to a soft pinkish-brown.

Agapanthus and Geraniums
Colorful geraniums are scattered 
among the agapanthus that produce 
these tall stems with clusters of blue flowers.

Previously I had all white geraniums 
in this spot, but this year I planted a mix of colors.

This variety is deep pink with lighter pink edges.

Foxtail Ferns, Geraniums, Impatients
Impatients grouped within a bed 
of foxtail ferns add a pop of color here.

Our back garden space includes 
two water features that mirror each 
other and these wonderful stone urns 
that are planted with various 
evergreens accented with colorful annuals.

As seasons change or plants need replacing
the contents of the urns change. 
Deep lavender petunias 
recently replaced winter white cyclamen.

The deep color of these wide 
trumpet shaped flowers makes 
this common plant appear very regal.

Often the mix within these urns 
simply evolves as something new is needed.

A new addition this spring is a trio 
of ceramic planters filled with succulents.

This beautiful large jade plant was a 
Christmas present from my husband.

As were the unusual coral cacti.  

The succulents have added a 
new visual interest to the upper terrace.

Just above blue daze spills out of a wall 
planter while this terracotta 
hen is home to more succulents. 

Thank you for joining me in my garden today.  
More gardens await you at 
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